--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But the West did not last long enough…" description: "\"But the West did not last long enough. Its folk myths and heroes became stage properties of Hollywood before the poets had begun to get to work on them..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef9/christopher-dawson-15516_enough_but-the-west-did-not-last-long-enough-it_3099194.jpg" --- # But the West did not last long enough. Its folk myths and… ![“But the West did not last long enough. Its folk myths and heroes became stage properties of Hollywood before the poets had begun to get to work on them.” quote by Christopher Dawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef9/christopher-dawson-15516_enough_but-the-west-did-not-last-long-enough-it_3099194.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef9/christopher-dawson-15516_enough_but-the-west-did-not-last-long-enough-it_3099194.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef9/christopher-dawson-15516_enough_but-the-west-did-not-last-long-enough-it_3099194.jpg) > “But the West did not last long enough. Its folk myths and heroes became stage properties of Hollywood before the poets had begun to get to work on them.” [Christopher Dawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-dawson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The West's cultural legacy was quickly commercialized by Hollywood, leaving little space for deeper poetic exploration. **In simple terms:** Western myths were turned into movies before poets could study them. Key Takeaway Recognize the loss of depth in popular culture. Themes culture media history commercialization Mood reflective critical Type observational analytical When to use this quote - film criticism - literary studies - education policy - media literacy Key Concepts mythmaking artistic neglect cultural commodification Questions to Reflect On - How does commercialization affect cultural memory? - Can deeper artistic work revive forgotten myths? A Different Perspective Hollywood often simplifies complex traditions, reducing their richness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Hero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hero/) [Hollywood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hollywood/) [Myth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/myth/) [Poet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poet/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Poets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poets/) [Property](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/property/) [Stage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stage/) ## Related quotes > [Terrible times in which priests no longer merit the praise of poets and in which poets have not yet begun to be priests.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-marti/terrible-times-in-which-priests-no-longer-merit-the-praise-of-poets/) [Jose Marti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-marti/) > [ “\[T\]he West did not invent slavery; the West ended slavery.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-buchanan/t-he-west-did-not-invent-slavery-the-west-ended-slavery/) [Pat Buchanan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-buchanan/) > [“Morning and evening Maids heard the goblins cry: 'Come buy our orchard fruits, Come buy, come buy”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-rossetti/morning-and-evening-maids-heard-the-goblins-cry-come-buy-our-orchard/) [Christina Rossetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-rossetti/) > [Knowledge and increase of enduring joy From the great Nature that exists in works Of mighty Poets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wordsworth/knowledge-and-increase-of-enduring-joy-from-the-great-nature-that/) [William Wordsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wordsworth/) > [“The promising young poets, the hopefuls? I'd name Richard Wilbur, Peter Viereck, Karl Shapiro, Elizabeth Bishop, Robert Lowell, John Ciardi...Leonard Bacon...but it is still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/the-promising-young-poets-the-hopefuls-i-d-name-richard-wilbur-peter/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [Poerty is composition to which the soul bleeds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adkruk/poerty-is-composition-to-which-the-soul-bleeds/) [ADKruk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adkruk/) > [ Neither men, nor gods, nor booksellers' shelves permit ordinary poets to exist. \[Lat., Mediocribus esse poetis Non homines, non di, non concessere columnae.\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/neither-men-nor-gods-nor-booksellers-shelves-permit-ordinary-poets-to/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [There were so many Pittsburgh poets in my hallway that if, at that instant, a meteorite had come smashing through my roof, there would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/there-were-so-many-pittsburgh-poets-in-my-hallway-that-if-at-that/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [“When one does something, one must do it wholly and well. Those bastard existences where you sell suet all day and write poetry at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/when-one-does-something-one-must-do-it-wholly-and-well-those-bastard/) [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) > [Most of the more celebrated names among African-American authors, poets, and artists are known to the world because of their association with specific cultural…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aberjhani/most-of-the-more-celebrated-names-among-african-american-authors/) [Aberjhani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aberjhani/) > [“Lyric poets are always corrupting the young, making them choke in self-pity and indulge in reverie. Dirty sex and direspect for authority is what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-simic/lyric-poets-are-always-corrupting-the-young-making-them-choke-in-self/) [Charles Simic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-simic/) > [ “\[poems are\] crystals deposited after the effervescent contact of the spirit with reality. (cristaux deposes apres l'effervescent contact de l'esprit avec la realite)” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-reverdy/poems-are-crystals-deposited-after-the-effervescent-contact-of-the/) [Pierre Reverdy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-reverdy/) > [One of my favorite poets, Neruda, writes close to the bone. Though I know only a little Spanish, I like to compare the Spanish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anita-diament/one-of-my-favorite-poets-neruda-writes-close-to-the-bone-though-i/) [Anita Diament](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anita-diament/) > [Absolute is a game with only one player where Absolute forgets itself so it would have a reason to fulfill the motion while returning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dejan-stojanovic/absolute-is-a-game-with-only-one-player-where-absolute-forgets-itself/) [Dejan Stojanovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dejan-stojanovic/) > [Defeat furnishes good material to the poets and the artists, but none of us care to have the glory of the conquered apply to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-glaspell/defeat-furnishes-good-material-to-the-poets-and-the-artists-but-none/) [Susan Glaspell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-glaspell/) ## More by Christopher Dawson > [You can give men food and leisure and amusements and good conditions of work, and still they will remain unsatisfied. You can deny them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-dawson/you-can-give-men-food-and-leisure-and-amusements-and-good-conditions/) [Christopher Dawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-dawson/) > [It is Christian culture that has created Western man and the Western way of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-dawson/it-is-christian-culture-that-has-created-western-man-and-the-western/) [Christopher Dawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-dawson/) > [No civilisation, not even that of ancient Greece, has ever undergone such a continuous and profound process of change as Western Europe has done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-dawson/no-civilisation-not-even-that-of-ancient-greece-has-ever-undergone/) [Christopher Dawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-dawson/) > [The present age has seen a great slump in humanist values.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-dawson/the-present-age-has-seen-a-great-slump-in-humanist-values/) [Christopher Dawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-dawson/) > [Man can know his world without falling back on revelation; he can live his life without feeling his utter dependence on supernatural powers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-dawson/man-can-know-his-world-without-falling-back-on-revelation-he-can-live/) [Christopher Dawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-dawson/) > [The intercourse between the Mediterranean and the North or between the Atlantic and Central Europe was never purely economic or political; it also meant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-dawson/the-intercourse-between-the-mediterranean-and-the-north-or-between/) [Christopher Dawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-dawson/) > [The chief safeguard of personal freedom in a democratic society is the anarchy and disorder of capitalist individualism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-dawson/the-chief-safeguard-of-personal-freedom-in-a-democratic-society-is/) [Christopher Dawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-dawson/) > [And so, today, if the state can no longer appeal to the old moral principles that belong to the Christian tradition, it will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-dawson/and-so-today-if-the-state-can-no-longer-appeal-to-the-old-moral/) [Christopher Dawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-dawson/) > [Humanism and Divinity are as complementary to one another in theorder of culture, as are Nature and Grace in the order of being.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-dawson/humanism-and-divinity-are-as-complementary-to-one-another-in-theorder/) [Christopher Dawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-dawson/) > [We have entered a new phase of culture - we may call it the Age of the Cinema - in which the most amazing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-dawson/we-have-entered-a-new-phase-of-culture-we-may-call-it-the-age-of-the/) [Christopher Dawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-dawson/) > [“Culture was actually humanity’s attempt to extend the womb.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-dawson/culture-was-actually-humanity-s-attempt-to-extend-the-womb/) [Christopher Dawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-dawson/) > [For humanism also appeals to man as man. It seeks to liberate the universal qualities of human nature from the narrow limitations of blood…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-dawson/for-humanism-also-appeals-to-man-as-man-it-seeks-to-liberate-the/) [Christopher Dawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-dawson/) > [This freedom of political discussion on the highest level is something which Western civilization has in common with that of classical antiquity, but with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-dawson/this-freedom-of-political-discussion-on-the-highest-level-is/) [Christopher Dawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-dawson/) > [The Church as a divine society possess an internal principle of life which is capable of assimilating the most diverse materials and imprinting her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-dawson/the-church-as-a-divine-society-possess-an-internal-principle-of-life/) [Christopher Dawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-dawson/) > [If man attempts to suppress the animal side of his nature by a sheer effort of conscious will, nature finds a hundred unexpected and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-dawson/if-man-attempts-to-suppress-the-animal-side-of-his-nature-by-a-sheer/) [Christopher Dawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-dawson/) [Explore all 43 Christopher Dawson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-dawson/) ## More Enough quotes > [I guess at it's very core love is connection that just makes so much sense you wonder how you used to live before you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-stone/i-guess-at-it-s-very-core-love-is-connection-that-just-makes-so-much/) [Benjamin Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-stone/) > [Failures happen. You can't cry over them. You just take it in your stride because you know that you have done your best... Sometimes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divya-dutta/failures-happen-you-can-t-cry-over-them-you-just-take-it-in-your/) [Divya Dutta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divya-dutta/) > [I feel very grateful to be alive and well enough to make music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-ant/i-feel-very-grateful-to-be-alive-and-well-enough-to-make-music/) Adam Ant > [I've been lucky enough to, for the most part, surround myself with a lot of people who are more talented than me and who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-franco/i-ve-been-lucky-enough-to-for-the-most-part-surround-myself-with-a/) [Dave Franco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-franco/) > [I love because there is not enough room in my heart to hate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rena-kornreich-gelissen/i-love-because-there-is-not-enough-room-in-my-heart-to-hate/) Rena Kornreich Gelissen > [We find few historians who have been diligent enough in their search for truth; it is their common method to take on trust what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/we-find-few-historians-who-have-been-diligent-enough-in-their-search/) [John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/) > [Sometimes it's just enough for me to have the idea. I don't need to see it through to the end. When it actually happens,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-sedaris/sometimes-it-s-just-enough-for-me-to-have-the-idea-i-don-t-need-to/) [Amy Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-sedaris/) > [The vast majority of organizations today have more than enough intelligence, experience and knowledge to be successful. What they lack is organizational health.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-lencioni/the-vast-majority-of-organizations-today-have-more-than-enough/) [Patrick Lencioni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-lencioni/) > [I'm an actor, so I'm never going to feel like I've done enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italia-ricci/i-m-an-actor-so-i-m-never-going-to-feel-like-i-ve-done-enough/) [Italia Ricci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italia-ricci/) > [I've been to Manchester enough to know it's a real place. It's not Factory Records and the Smiths bicycling around. I get it. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-murphy/i-ve-been-to-manchester-enough-to-know-it-s-a-real-place-it-s-not/) [James Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-murphy/) > [Lutherans, whose arguments and mistakes will not be difficult to contest or discover, do not want to attribute any value to works, and they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-servetus/lutherans-whose-arguments-and-mistakes-will-not-be-difficult-to/) [Michael Servetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-servetus/) > [Sam dropped me off. When she was too far away to see me, I started to cry again. Because she was my friend again.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-chbosky/sam-dropped-me-off-when-she-was-too-far-away-to-see-me-i-started-to/) [Stephen Chbosky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-chbosky/) > [I just worried about my weight. Worried about my appearance and thought I wan't pretty enough to be a pop star. It was very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-durham/i-just-worried-about-my-weight-worried-about-my-appearance-and/) [Judith Durham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-durham/) > [I don't want this to be a distraction. This has been distracting enough. I'm not going to rehash this going forward. I'm sure other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jayson-werth/i-don-t-want-this-to-be-a-distraction-this-has-been-distracting/) [Jayson Werth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jayson-werth/) > [New York is large, glamorous, easy-going, kindly and incurious, but above all it is a crucible - because it is large enough to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ford-madox-ford/new-york-is-large-glamorous-easy-going-kindly-and-incurious-but-above/) [Ford Madox Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ford-madox-ford/) Browse all 23,898 Enough quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "But the West did not last long enough. Its folk myths and heroes became stage properties of Hollywood before the poets had begun to get to work on them.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Christopher Dawson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-dawson/but-the-west-did-not-last-long-enough-its-folk-myths-and-heroes/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Enough" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-dawson/but-the-west-did-not-last-long-enough-its-folk-myths-and-heroes/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef9/christopher-dawson-15516_enough_but-the-west-did-not-last-long-enough-it_3099194.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef9/christopher-dawson-15516_enough_but-the-west-did-not-last-long-enough-it_3099194.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef9/christopher-dawson-15516_enough_but-the-west-did-not-last-long-enough-it_3099194.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“But the West did not last long enough. Its folk myths and heroes became stage properties of Hollywood before…” — Christopher Dawson", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Christopher Dawson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-dawson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "But the West did not last...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-dawson/but-the-west-did-not-last-long-enough-its-folk-myths-and-heroes/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-dawson/but-the-west-did-not-last-long-enough-its-folk-myths-and-heroes/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```